Three individuals, one of whom is suspected to be a police officer, were apprehended in the early hours of Tuesday for allegedly vandalising power cables in the Demekpe area of Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
A local resident identified simply as Debur told reporters that members of the community vigilante group caught the suspects in the act at about 3:00 a.m.
“We were alerted by the noise involving the vigilante members and the suspects. Some of the youths in the area rushed out, and things nearly got out of hand. But the vigilantes quickly contacted the police from D Division, who came and took the suspects away,” he said.
Among those arrested was an individual found in possession of a police identity card bearing the name Innocent Ishaku, with an ID number 309976 and a photograph attached, further fuelling speculation that a serving police officer might be involved.
When reached for confirmation, the Head of Corporate Communication at Jos Electricity Distribution Company, Dr. Adakole Elijah, acknowledged the arrest of the three suspects but stated that he could not independently verify if any of them was a police officer.
“It is true that three individuals were arrested. They are in custody and will be prosecuted soon,” Elijah said.
Regarding the suspect allegedly linked to the police, he added, “I can’t confirm that for now. Criminals often carry fake or stolen ID cards belonging to security personnel.”
Attempts to get a response from the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, were unsuccessful, as calls to her phone were unanswered and text messages sent to her were not returned at the time of this report.
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